The Penumbra Caused by East Mountain

Living in Alpine gives us the unique opportunity to live life in the penumbra for a brief moment each day. When the sun first starts peaking over East Mountain a faint shadow begins to appear. This partial shadow is created from the edge of the mountain, which has a small halo around it. It creates an effect called "penumbra" (pronounced like umbrella). It means "almost shadow" in Latin. The word is most  commonly used when referring to the effects of an eclipse.

When walking in Lambert Park in the summer, it is nice to be out in the cool of morning before "umbra," complete shadows, but in the winter it is nice to get walking in the warmth of full sun!

On November 9th 2018, the sun came rose over the Bowery between 9:02 and 9:03 a.m., creating this series of shadows, going from faint to strikingly stark! Try it in your front yard, and see if the penumbra occurs at the same time next year!